The present invention relates to an automatic focusing camera having: a movement predicting function by which the distance from the camera to a moving object is measured a plurality of times before photographing and focusing is performed according to the result of prediction conducted on the basis of the obtained range-finding information; and a wide range-finding function by which range-finding is conducted in plural areas which have been previously set with regard to the picture plane.
Recently, most cameras are provided with an autofocus device by which the distance to an object is measured and the picture-taking lens is automatically moved so that a picture in focus can be obtained.
When photographing a moving object such as a man or vehicle, using the aforementioned autofocus camera, the object moves during the period of time from when the release button is pressed to when the shutter is opened. Therefore, the obtained picture becomes out of focus. The higher the moving speed of the object, the more this tendency increases.
In order to overcome this problem, a camera has been proposed, for example, in the Japanese Patent Application Open to Public Inspection No. 159817/1988, which is characterized in that: after a range-finding operation has been conducted synchronously with a release button pressing operation, at least one more range-finding operation is conducted before the shutter is opened; the moving speed of the photographic object is calculated from the data obtained from the range-finding operations; the distance from the camera to the photographic object at the time when the shutter is opened, is predicted from the calculation in which the time required for lens moving and shutter opening is incorporated, which is called "moving object prediction"; and the picture-taking lens is moved to a position corresponding to the calculated photographic object distance, and then photographing is performed. In a camera in which this moving object prediction is adopted, an in-focus photograph of a moving photographic object can be taken.
In a conventional moving object prediction camera, a range-finding operation is conducted on a photographic object located in a range-finding area which has been set approximately in the center of a picture plane, and moving object prediction is performed in accordance with the obtained range-finding data. Consequently, in the case of a photographic object which moves diagonally with regard to the optical axis of the camera, the photographic object may move out of the range-finding area while moving object prediction is being performed. As a result, the obtained range-finding data is deviated, so that the predicted photographic object distance differs from the actual distance, and the obtained photograph becomes out of focus.
The inventors have considered an autofocus camera having a wide range-finding function in which: a plurality of range-finding areas are set on a picture plane; a range-finding operation is conducted on each range-finding area; and when appropriate range-finding data is found, a focusing operation is conducted according to the range-finding data. It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an autofocus camera in which a plurality of range-finding operations are conducted so that moving object prediction can be performed, characterized in that: a moving object prediction is conducted even on a photographic object which moves diagonally with regard to the optical axis of the camera to conduct moving object prediction, so that a focused photograph can be taken.